Adjustable headband



July 3, 1962 F. J. GURTOWSKI ADJUSTABLE HEADBAND Filed Sept. 11, 1959 rinvzw 3 r.

INVENTOR. Francis J. Gurfowski BY M Afima" 3,041,622 ADJUSTABLE HEADBAND Ih'ancis J. Gnrtowski, Reading, Pa., assignor to The Electric Storage Battery Company, Philadelphia, Pa. Filed Sept. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 839,510 3 Claims. c1. 2--8) numerous parts, particularly parts of metal, such as springs, which are expensive to manufacture and which are unsafe in certain types of work wherein there exists the possibility of the shield or associated parts striking a live electrical conductor which might transfer an injurious shock to the wearer.

, A still further disadvantage of common types of headband adjustments is that they are often diflicult to adjust and do not provide a symmetrical adjustment, particularly about the crown strap, nor do they permit substitution of one crownstrap for another so as to permit the mounting of shields other than welding shields, such as face shields, eye shields and the like, as is possible in accordance with the present invention.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a novel adjustable headband including inexpensive and easily operable adjusting means which may be made entirely of plastic material, which adjusting means is devoid of the above named disadvantages.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a headband assembly including a novel hair guard which may be made entirely of plastic material in an easily removable or dismountable fashion whereby metal spring elements and the like may be omitted without omitting their spring functions.

A still further object of the invention .is to provide an adjustable headband for shields, including a simple and inexpensive crown strap which may be easily adjusted in a symmetrical fashion and which may be easily replaced by another crown strap for mounting other than welding shields, such as a face or eye shield.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of an adjustable headband embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side, elevational view of the headband shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, longitudinal, cross-sectional view taken along line III-4H of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line IVIV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 2;

'FIG. 6 is an exploded, perspective view of the hair guard assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, plan view of the cover portion 21a of a modification of the hair guard;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a friction spring for mounting in opening 23a shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a front, elevational view of the friction spring 3,041,622 Patented July 3, 1962 although it may also be of iibrous or other materials.

The. headband is of the adjustable type and includes a headband strap 2 having overlapping end portions surrounded or enclosed within a hair guard '3 of tubular construction, and includes an adjustable crown strap 4.

The crown strap 4 is an entirely separate strap, therefore may be easily replaced by a different type of strap, and is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes 7. In'one of each of the holes, along the side portions of the strap, there is inserted a collar button 6, prefera-bly of plastic material, such as nylon mounted on upward extensions 5a on the sides of the headband 2. Instead, the collar button may be integrally secured to each of the upwardly extending, side extensions 5a of the headband.

The collar button is selectively inserted in any one 'of the holes, depending upon the size of the head of the wearer. By such adjustment there is provided equal or symmetrical adjustments for the side portions or extensions of the headband 4, that is to say, the extensions 4a thereof, on which are pivotally mounted the welding hel met or shield, may be omitted or made shorter in some applications so as to mount other items, such as face shields or eye shields, by the simple expedient of replacing the crown strap 4 with another suitable strap. The enlarged base of the collar button rests on part 5a at theadjustable positions of the crown strap. Thus by simply pushing down on the outwardly projecting portion of the collar button so as to remove it from one of the holes 7 and sliding the crown strap 4 through loop 5, the collar button maybe reinserted in any of the other holes .7 to adjust the size of the crown strap to suit the head of the particular wearer.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the construction of the hair guard which is shown more clearly in FIG. 6 and which comprises an arcuate channel or base portion 18 having integrally molded loops 20 at the ends thereof and a removable cover portion 21 which together with portion 18, forms a tubular element of rectangular cross-section, as shown more clearly in FIGS. 1 andZ. The cover piece 21 is adapted to be supported on the shelf portions or ledges 19'extending along the length of the base to provide shoulders upon which may be supported the longitudinal edge portions of the cover piece 21 after the cover portion is slid through one of the loops 20. A hollow cylindrical stud 16, also plastic material, is integrally molded to and extends from the central portion of the base of channel 18 and has a threadedhole .17 in the end thereof in which is adapted to be screwed a screw 25. Lugs 11 are integrally molded substantially centrally on and project upwardly from the top piece 21. An adjusting knob 9, also preferably of plastic material, has integrally molded thereon an extension 12 having spur gearteeth 13 which are adapted to mesh with the rack teeth 14 formed on the 'band'extension 14a and the rack teeth 15 formed on the end extension 15a of the head-band 2 when the end portions of the headbands are in overlapping relationship inside hair guard 3, as shown more clearly in FIG. 3.

Thus depending upon the direction of rotation of adjusttheretore the lugs 11 will yield or flex somewhat as the knob 9 is turned so that lugs 11 will selectively fit into any pairs of radial grooves for maintaining any selected adjustment of knob 9. V 7

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 showa modification wherein the headband strap 21a has a hole 23a and slots 27 in which may fit the hub portion 33 and projections 28 of the friction spring of plastic or metal, shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

ing a plurality of longitudinally spaced holes, and a projection of a size corresponding to that of said holes extending outwardly from eadh of said upward extensions for selective insertion in any of said respective holes for Lugs 11, shown in FIG. 6, are omitted and in place therei of will be substituted the arms 31 of the friction spring which have upstanding integralprojections 32 which'are,

engageable in selective pairs of slots 10 on the under surface of knob 9. The springiness of the arms will permit 7 projections lil'toryield and retract as the knob is rotated and to spring back into a new pair of radial slots 10. Thus'it will be-seen thatI have provided an eflicient headband assembly which is particularly suitable for sup-r porting welding shields but which may be used for sup- V porting othertypes of shields by simply replacinga separable crown strap; furthermore I have provided a crown strap adjusting means which provides a symmetrical adjustment on both sides of the head by providing two adjustments, one on each side of the head to provide equal extensions for. pivotally supporting the welding shield; furthermore, I have provided a hair guard assembly incl-uding an adjusting knob means, which assembly is made up of a'minimunr number of parts, all of which may be of: plastic material and being devoid of a metal spring, 1

yet which retains the spring function of the normal metal a spring, also which enables easy and quick removal of the parts forming the hair guard; furthermore I have provided a novel hair guard adjusting knob which is easy to turn to any desired adjustment and which assures maintenance of said adjustment. While I have illustrated and described a single embodiment of my invention, it be understood'that this is by way of illustration only, and that various changes" and modifications maybe made within the contemplation of my invention and within the scope of the following a claims. a

Iclaim: 7 I

a 1. An adjustable headband for Weldingshields and the a I like, comp'risingan adjustable, fiexible'headband strap having upstanding, flexible portions on' opposite sides thereof which areadapted .to extend npwardlypand terminating at thesides .of the wearers head; eachterminat- ,ing in an integral, transverse loop, a separate, flexible crown strap having end portions of such thickness as to snugly fit inside said loops, each of said end portions havsymmetrically adjusting the crown strap, the extremities of said crown strap having holes for pivotal mounting of said welding shield, whereby said pivotal mounting holes may be adjustably raised or lowered 2. A headband for supporting a welding shield or the like, comprising a crown strap and an adjustable headband strap, both of flexible material, said headband strap including overlapping end portions, each having rack teeth in opposed, spaced relationship, a hair guard com prising an arcuate base of channel cross-section having f securing said knob to said stud, said cover'portion hav-' ingoutwardly projecting lugs, said knob having radially extending grooves on the under surface confronting said cover portion'which are yieldingly and selectively engageable bysaid lugs by virtue'of yielding 0t said flexible stripso as to maintain said knobs in any desired rotated position. v a

3; An adjustable headband as recited in claim 2 wherein said base has longitudinally extending sidewalls terminating in ledges forsupporting the longitudinal edges of said cover portion and wherein the portion of said cover portion on whiohsaid lugs are mounted is unsupported centrally to permit flexing thereof as said knob is rotated and as said lugs are forced outwardly'from a pain of said radial notches and to provide spring action for holding the lugs in the selected radial notches.

,, References Cited the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,342,210 M-urphey Feb. 22, 1944 r r 2,461,605 Huntsman Feb. 15, 1949 I 2,511,234 Anderson June 13, 1950 12,601,362 'Bowers June 24, 1952 2,882,894, Fahey' Apr. 211, 1959 

